From Engadget · Roger Fingas · · 1m 50s
Why Wi-Fi slows down when everyone comes home
Evening internet congestion hits hardest on shared cable networks. Power-cycling your router helps, but you may need to change your habits.
In brief
Evening internet congestion hits hardest on shared cable networks. Power-cycling your router helps, but you may need to change your habits. Wi-Fi speeds drop in the evening because neighbors return home simultaneously, overwhelming shared bandwidth on cable networks. Fixes include power-cycling equipment, using five…
The evening slowdown problem
You finish work wanting to relax with a movie or game, but your Wi-Fi speeds are much slower than usual. The same happens during evening video calls if you work from home.
Why it happens: the traffic jam
Unless you live in a rural area, neighbors return from work and school simultaneously, getting online at the same time. With cable internet, many houses share bandwidth, creating congestion.
Fiber avoids the worst of it
Fiber internet offers far greater bandwidth than cable, so it does not suffer as much from neighborhood congestion when many people get online at once.
Power-cycle your equipment
Unplug your modem and router for at least thirty seconds, then plug them back in. Wait for the modem to reconnect before restarting your router. This clears caches and acquires fresher connections.
Use five gigahertz for heavy devices
Create separate network names for each router band, then force data-hungry devices to five gigahertz or six gigahertz if they support it. The two point four gigahertz band is congested and vulnerable to interference.
Shift heavy tasks to off-peak hours
Schedule software updates and file downloads for overnight. Avoid torrenting during waking hours or running large cloud sync operations when family members are online using bandwidth.
Adapt your viewing and gaming habits
Postpone streaming popular shows until after their premiere. Wait until school-aged kids are in bed before playing online games like PUBG or Galactic Racer. Switch devices to wired Ethernet where possible.
What matters most
Wi-Fi speeds drop in the evening because neighbors return home simultaneously, overwhelming shared bandwidth on cable networks. Fixes include power-cycling equipment, using five gigahertz bands, and shifting data-heavy tasks to off-peak hours.
